Do you think it is possible to genetically engineer narcotic plants (like opium or coca) to the effect that once they multiply with their natural counter-parts they spawn plants that would no longer have narcotic properties?
I am not a bioengineer, but would like to know if it is possible.
2007-03-17 09:47:24 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
The big fear of using genetic engineering to make better plants is that bees and other polination methods will spread the grnes. This is happening to the extent that in certain areas, there is no longer "organic" corn because of cross polination. Pot plants have been engineered to now produce 10+% of thc. There is no reason to expect that plants engineered to have low or no narcotic could not adversly effect others when polinating factors take over. We could also develope blights which would kill all of the plants. Rice, corn, and wheat blights have been engineered for the cold war era but have (hopfully) never been used.
2007-03-17 17:30:59 · answer #1 · answered by Brian T 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah, but since things tend to revert back to the natural state if left alone, it wouldn't work in the long run, and there's so many synthetic "narcotics" manufactured all the time, why bother?
2007-03-17 16:52:18 · answer #2 · answered by Squirrley Temple 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes they have been doing that on plants and animals for a long time now.
2007-03-17 16:55:42 · answer #3 · answered by jordan e 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes its possible, but there is no money to make of it so the Chance it will be done is very less
2007-03-17 16:52:37 · answer #4 · answered by peternaarstig 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anything is possible.
2007-03-17 16:53:18 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋